Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Ngarrindjeri Choir at Wooden Boat Festival, River Port of Goolwa, South Australia

The Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Ngarrindjeri Choir featured at the Wooden Boat Festival, river port of Goolwa, South Australia.

This was my second Wooden Boat Fesival at Goolwa, South Australia, held on the last weekend of February, 2013.

A fine hot summer's day was forecast so I decided to be in Goolwa before the crowds arrived. It took me less than an hour to drive from my home in Adelaide through the rolling hills of the Fleurieu Peninsula to Goolwa.

With such a brilliant day for photography I took almost 2,000 photos. Some of these will appear in my "Alzheimer's Products" DVDs, photo downloads and interactive jigsaw puzzles. They'll also be turned into kindle books for Amazon.

The programme was filled with plenty of activities  - some on the water and others on the land and I was fortunate to be on the wharf where I could photograph both areas.

One of the highlights of the day was the song and dance performance of the Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Choir led by Rita Lindsay (pictured below).

Rita Lindsay, leader, Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Choir

The outfits and face painting set the mood for the performance which illustrated traditional activities and aspects of life in the lower reaches of the River Murray.


Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Choir

 As you can see from the photos, the performance (in the Ngarrindjeri language) was full of action.

Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Choir

 What impressed me most was the age range of the group extending from young children up to the elders. The Ngarrindjeri culture is not only being passed on to the younger generation but it's also being presented in such a way that the wider community can enjoy it too. 

Rritjarukar (Willy Wagtails) Choir

 Listen to a podcast with Rita Lindsay.